Top 10 Things Hamilton Got Factually Right and Wrong
Top 10 Things Hamilton Got Factually Right and Wrong
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Creative liberty and justice for all. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Things Hamilton Got Factually Right and Wrong. For this list, we’ll be looking at the historical accuracy of the musical “Hamilton,” going over which plot points were true and which were false.
#10: Martha Washington Named Her Tomcat After Hamilton
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Wrong During the “A Winter’s Ball” number, Aaron Burr paints Alexander Hamilton as a notorious womanizer, claiming that Martha Washington named her feral tomcat after him. Breaking the fourth wall, Hamilton says this is true, although it’s more fiction than fact. While Hamilton did commit adultery at least once, little evidence suggests that he regularly slept around. Lin-Manuel Miranda attributes the tomcat story to a rumor John Adams spread, but historians Michael Newton and Stephen Knott believe it stemmed from a satirical letter published again 56 years after Hamilton died. Apparently, there was a joke about Washington naming her cat after Hamilton in a positive way, which developed into the tomcat story over time. There wasn’t even a correlation between the term “tomcat” and philandering during the 18th century.
#9: Hamilton Was Fired by John Adams
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Wrong While they were both members of the Federalist Party, Hamilton and John Adams didn’t always see eye to eye. In the musical, this rivalry reaches its boiling point when Adams becomes the second President of the United States. He subsequently fires Hamilton from his position as Secretary of the Treasury, but Adams literally couldn’t have done this in real life. Hamilton actually resigned from office on December 1, 1794, although he did maintain close ties with George Washington and other political figures. Adams wouldn’t be elected until 1796, two years after Hamilton tendered his resignation. As “The Adams Administration” song shows us, however, Hamilton did strongly oppose Adams’ re-election. This ultimately contributed to Adams’s loss against Thomas Jefferson, making him a one-term president.
#8: Philip Hamilton’s Fatal Duel
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Right Hamilton’s eldest son states during “Take a Break” that he’d rather have a brother than a sister. By age nine, though, Philip had two little brothers: Alexander Hamilton Jr. and James Alexander Hamilton. The musical also implies that Philip entered a duel with George Eacker before Adams lost the presidency, but it was really one year later. That said, Philip and Eacker did engage in a duel. At his father’s suggestion, Philip threw away his shot after counting ten paces. Eacker, in return, didn’t immediately fire, which differs from the musical where he blows Philip away without thinking twice. Nevertheless, the two eventually raised their pistols and Eacker fired, resulting in Philip’s death at age nineteen. Ironically, his father later met the same tragic fate.
#7: Hamilton’s Rivalry with Thomas Jefferson
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Right The musical sees Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson butt heads over numerous issues, from economic programs to the War of the First Coalition. Indeed, these two Founding Fathers had their fair share of “cabinet battles” while serving under Washington, one being a Federalist and the other being a Democratic-Republican. Politics aside, their personalities couldn’t have been more different. Whereas Hamilton wasn’t afraid to say exactly what was on his mind, Jefferson knew how to keep his cool. Jefferson’s reserved demeanor helped him ascend to the top of the political ladder while Hamilton’s hotheadedness didn’t always work to his career’s advantage. Despite their differences, Hamilton did endorse Jefferson during the 1800 presidential election, believing that Aaron Burr was the more dangerous candidate.
#6: Eliza Kept Her Husband’s Story Alive
Right Just as Alexander Hamilton was something of an unsung American hero, the same can be said about his wife. As the musical reaches its tear-jerking finale, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton vows to preserve Alexander’s legacy and put herself back in the narrative. “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” remains faithful to Eliza’s life after Alexander’s death. She did live another fifty years, interviewing soldiers who fought alongside her husband and collecting the various writings he left behind. Elizabeth also rose up as a significant figure in her own right, raising money to construct the Washington Monument and co-founding New York’s first private orphanage. Elizabeth’s story might not be the most well-known, but it’s definitely one worth telling.
#5: Burr Was a Constant Figure Throughout Hamilton’s Life
Wrong Being the one responsible for Hamilton’s death, Aaron Burr is built up as his arch-rival from the opening number. While the two did have contrasting personalities and views, the rivalry between Burr and Hamilton didn’t have as much buildup as one would assume. The musical makes up several instances where the two cross paths. During “Non-Stop,” Hamilton asks Burr to assist with The Federalist Papers, which never actually happened. It’s also implied that Burr aided Charles Lee during the “Ten Duel Commandments.” In reality, Burr wasn’t Lee’s second, but he did serve in the Battle of Monmouth (mawn-muth). Burr may’ve been “the damn fool that shot him,” but some historians would argue that Hamilton had a more heated rivalry with Jefferson.
#4: Hamilton’s Affair
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Right Just like in the song “Say No to This,” Maria Reynolds supposedly came to Hamilton’s house, claiming that her husband James had left her. One thing led to another and Hamilton entered into an affair with Maria. As it turned out, James knew of his wife’s adultery, leaving Hamilton vulnerable to blackmail. Five to six years after the affair ended, Hamilton found himself backed into a corner and decided to pen a lengthy confession in “The Reynolds Pamphlet.” While Elizabeth would come to forgive her husband’s infidelity, Hamilton became forever tied to what was arguably America’s first political sex scandal. Researchers would argue that Hamilton’s criticisms towards John Adams were the main reason for his downfall, but the affair and pamphlet certainly didn’t help his reputation.
#3: Angelica’s Infatuation with Hamilton
Wrong It might be a highlight of “Hamilton,” but there’s no evidence confirming that Angelica Schuyler Church harbored a secret love for her brother-in-law. Based on what they exchanged, it can be deduced that Hamilton and Angelica shared a close bond, but not a romantic one. In the musical, Angelica says that she can’t marry Hamilton because her father has no sons. Therefore, she must put social status before love. Although Angelica did marry wealthy, she actually had two adult brothers. Most notably, Angelica had already eloped with John Barker Church in 1777. She wouldn’t even meet Hamilton until he tied the knot with Elizabeth three years later. Miranda has acknowledged this inaccuracy, but we have to admit that his version is more dramatically satisfying.
#2: Hamilton Was Against Slavery
Right According to research, Hamilton stands out as one of the only Founding Fathers who didn’t directly own slaves. His mother had two slaves when she passed away, but Hamilton didn’t inherit them since he was born out of wedlock. Even if he did have some legal claim, Hamilton was known for being an abolitionist. In defense of Black rights, Hamilton once wrote “their natural faculties are as good as ours.” While Hamilton was against slavery, he occasionally found himself caught in the middle of a racist system. Practicing law, he helped exchange slaves for his clients. As a member of the New-York Manumission (man-you-mission) Society, though, Hamilton ultimately helped end the international slave trade. Maybe he would’ve done even more if his story hadn’t been cut short. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Hamilton’s Illegitimate Birth - Right The Founding Father Was Abandoned by His Own Father Hamilton Was an Immigrant - Right He Was Born in the West Indies & Immigrated to the U.S. The Number of Schuyler Siblings - Wrong There Were Fifteen Schyler Siblings Eliza Destroyed Her Letters - Right Although It’s Unclear If This Was Because of the Affair Hamilton Met Laurens, Lafayette & Mulligan Simultaneously - Wrong They Met At Different Times
#1: Hamilton Gave Up His Shot
Right The musical does take some creative license with the climactic duel, as it didn’t occur immediately after Burr lost his shot at the presidency. What’s more, “Hamilton” also neglects to emphasize that Burr became Jefferson’s vice president. When Jefferson ditched him during his 1804 reelection, Burr ran for Governor of New York and lost to Morgan Lewis. Once again, Hamilton called Burr’s ability to govern into question. So, Burr challenged him to the historic duel. Even if some background information is off, it is widely believed that Hamilton threw away his shot. Firing first, Hamilton intentionally missed Burr and instead hit a tree branch over his head. Unaware that Hamilton had taken a pledge not to shoot him, Burr fired back at his lower abdomen, ending his life.
